A fish may love a bird
by ithestrup2013
Summary: Bella is a mermaid who gets caught up in a storm; Alone, injured and in need of help she is found by a certain vampire family and a chance of a new life begins and this time she doesn't have to be on her own, but will she be able to open her heart to a vampire? (BxE) - AU, but give it a chance ;) (Title changed from "A new shade of Supernatural in Forks")
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**_ Soo... this is only my second fanfic so please be kind :)_

_I have mixed up some of the Mermaid legends to make the story more my own :) A few parts are from the original fairytale native to my country "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen, I strongly recommend you read that if you haven't already. It doesn't have a happy ending like Disney's version, but it is still a beautiful story. _

_Anywho on with the story :)_

**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own any recognizable part - that all belongs to Stephenie Meyer ;)_

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Finally I was on my way North. For a long time now I had longed for new seas to explore, my heart had grown weary of the same old routines and the same caves and reefs to explore and play in.

My sisters love the tropical oceans around Hawaii and Asia, and I do too – really, but the oceans have become infested with humans with their glass bottom boats and diving equipment and we always have to look over our shoulders when we venture out from the caves. I really do love the beauty of the tropical oceans with the colorful reefs and playful fish but I long for some peace and quiet. I dream of being able to swim in deserted areas where it's only me and the marine life without fear of being discovered.

My sisters and I are mermaids you see. We survive on secrecy to avoid getting hunted by humans and other more deadly creatures of the dry land.

We are near immortal creatures of the sea originating from Poseidon who created the first of us at the dawn of man. There are only female mermaids, a fact that make some very lonely. To reproduce a mermaid goes on land to find a man she deems worthy of fathering her child. Our tails transforms into legs when on dry land, a fact that makes the pursuit of a male companionship possible. It is risky though… if we go 24 hours without being submerged at least partially in water we start to weaken and will eventually die. This is why few mermaids risk it and only one or two mermaids are born every couple of centuries.

To help us thrive in the oceans Poseidon blessed us with gifts to make our life easier. We breathe underwater, can to some degree control the water, sense surrounding marine life, swim faster than any living thing and our voices match that of any living creature. If we wish for it our voices can take on a hypnotic quality, rendering any humans nearby under our complete control. Some mermaids have lost their hearts to the sea and love and spend their days luring sailors to their certain death by shipwreck.

I don't think I could ever do that willingly, but then again I'm young enough to never have had the urge to go on land and have my heart broken by a man. I've only ever been close enough to see humans from afar.

I swim faster and I feel the water growing colder steadily.

My tail is a beautiful midnight blue with indigo tones around the fins. My hair is a deep mahogany brown and reaches the place where my tail reaches my torso. My skin is about as fair as it can get, accentuating the deep blue of my eyes. My mother named me Anabelle getting her inspiration from the anemones of her favorite reef off the coast of New Zealand. I've always hated my full name and insisted to be called Bella for as long as I can remember.

My mother was killed by vampires the last time she got lonely and ventured on dry land in search of male companionship. That was almost a hundred years ago but I still miss her every day.

Lost in my thoughts I've travelled farther than I've realized. The water is probably around freezing and any human caught in it would most likely die quickly, but being a mermaid I'm not affected by the waters temperature. It only indicates that I've reached my destination. I start to rise up from the depths approaching the shore to look for a cave to rest in and make my new home.

I see no ships around and I feel excitement start to bubble up in me as I close in on the surface. This is what I longed for; no humans in the oceans to hide from.

The currents are getting stronger and as my head breaks the surface I can see why there were no ships. It's approaching nightfall and a storm is rolling in. I struggle against the waves to stay in place. I the distance I see land. Tall cliff sides and dense pine forest are the defining features. The currents are getting too strong for me to get down to the bottom again and my safest option is to swim towards the coast and hope to find a hiding spot safe from humans and the weather.

I'm fortunate that the current I'm caught in leads towards land and to preserve my strength I swim along with it keeping my head above water to look for potential shelter.

The rain is blurring my usually sharp vision and as I close in on the steep cliff ahead of me I don't notice the massive wave coming up behind me before it's too late.

I feel the water crash down on me pushing towards sharp rocks lining the bottom.

Pain tore through me as one of the rocks broke through the scales at my hip tearing at the flesh there.

Gasping for breath through the pain I struggle towards the surface.

My nearest escape from the currents is the beach. I start to struggle towards it but panic when I see movement in the distance to the right.

Clenching my teeth through the pain I swim as hard as I can in the opposite direction.

The storm is getting worse and I can feel myself weakening from blood loss.

I cry out in relief when I spot the opening of a river in between the trees and apply the last of my strength to get there. The panic begins to fade in the partial shelter of the trees. My head sinks beneath the surface in the river and I swim slowly along the bottom trying to preserve my strength until I get to somewhere safe and secluded. Black spots start to appear in my vision and I know I'm not going to last long. I look above the surface. I'm in a secluded spot in the trees. The only sounds nearby being from forest animals I pull myself up on a flat rock to avoid being carried back out to sea. Grimacing in pain I inspect the wound on my hip. It's bad… I realize it's a miracle I've made it this far and as the adrenalin wears off I start to feel the full effect of the pain.

Mermaids might not age or sicken and in that sense be immortal if we stay safe, but make no mistake, we can be killed or die from severe injuries. If a mermaid dies in human form she merely remains in that form, but if she dies at sea her body will rejoin it and dissolve into foam upon the waves. That's why any human that have been successful in actually killing one haven't been able to prove it, thus securing our secret.

Turning my thought from their morose directions I whimper quietly with tears streaming down my face. I need healing plants and seaweed to bind the wound but I've no idea where to find them this far from home, let alone the strength. The only possessions I've brought with me are my comb and mirror in my pouch at my side, my hunting knife and the pearls in my hair. None of which will help in my current situation. The only hope I've got is to apply pressure to the wound and hope that the bleeding stops before I pass out.

Mermaids don't have the same sense of modesty that humans do so it's not custom for mermaids to cover up with anything but their long hair, especially since fabric chafe our sensitive scales. Therefor I've got no cloth of any kind to stop the blood flow.

I spot some mushy green stuff growing at the base of the rock that should do the job. Twisting my body to reach the plant I scream yet again from the pain wrecking through my body. Grabbing a handful I spread it out over the wound the best I can over the wound take a deep breath and push down hard with both of my hands.

I bite down hard on the inside of my cheek to avoid crying out and taste blood. I fear attracting attention from somebody passing by despite the unlikeliness of it judging by the heavy rain and surrounding wilderness, but this is the first time I'm this exposed close to the shore so I'm a bit paranoid.

Tears are still streaming down my face. It's a weird sensation as I've actually never felt tears on my face before living underwater. I choke on a sob at that absurd thought. I'm too weak to swim very far in the rivers currents, so I'm stuck here until I heal at least slightly. My tailfin is still submerged in the water allowing me to keep my preferred form. I had never let it dry into legs before, opting like many mermaids to sleep in a cave at least partially submerged.

Absorbed in my thoughts I don't realize I have company until I hear a male voice speak up behind me.

"Are you hurt Miss?"

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_Soo... PLEASE leave me a review to tell me what you think ;D_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** _Not much to say this time other than thank you for reading ;)_

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own any recognizable parts - that all belongs to SM and whoever else holds the rights..._

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**BPOV**

Startled I push partly off the rock I've been sitting on, trying to hide my tail in the shallow water.

I realize it's a lost cause as I look up to see who spoke. Blaming the fact that I didn't figure it out by the voice alone on my weakened state, I curse my black luck that it's not humans who've found me, but two male vampires. Adrenalin kicks in again as bone cold fear seeps through my veins. I never thought I would meet the same fate as my mother but it seems Poseidon had other plans.

The one who spoke, a tall golden haired one stands a little ahead of his companion with his hands up in a surrendering motion with an awed and worried look on his face. His companion is slightly shorter and younger with bronze hair on his head. When I look into their eyes I gasp a little when I notice I'm looking into gold eyes instead of the red ones I had expected.

The golden haired one take a cautious step forward and I shrink back further into the water in fear even though I know that it will be my death if I'm lead back into the storming sea in my condition.

"Please, we won't hurt you, but we smell the blood and know you're injured. I'm a doctor, I can help you."

I shake my head and sink lower into the river only my head, shoulder and arms above the surface as I cling to the rock for dear life. I'm starting to panic because I don't have a clue how to get out of this situation alive.

The golden haired one takes another step forward. In a pitiful attempt to protect myself I manipulate some water to form a shield around me. Not many mermaids can do this since it takes a lot of skill in water manipulation but somehow it has always come naturally to me. It is not a strong shield due to my wound and by no means would it keep out a vampire but I refuse to just hand my life over.

Seeing this he takes a step back and crouches down on the ground in a non-threatening pose instructing the other one to do the same with his hand while maintaining eye contact with me. His eyes were kind and the same remarkable gold that I noticed before. Not a trace of either red or the hungry black.

"My name is Carlisle and this is my son Edward. I know you must be badly injured or you would have fled already, please allow us to help you – we mean no harm."

I want to believe him, my tired and hurting body is screaming for me to just let go and either let myself be carried off by the currents to the sea or take my chances with the vampires, but the remaining part of my rational mind don't want to give up yet.

"Why should I trust you? Anytime a vampire has come across a mermaid she always winds up dead or worse! Your kind killed my mother!"

Despite the fact that I wish to be forceful in my words my voice is weak betraying the fact that I'm more affected by the wound and blood loss than I'm willing to admit to the vampires.

This time his companion, the one he called Edward speaks up.

"We are different from others of our kind we only drink the blood of animals. You must have noticed our eyes by now to know we are different."

While he speaks his eyes capture mine truly for the first time and I am lost in the swirling pools of gold and topaz.

"We would never hurt anything as beautiful and magical as you, and I don't think I even could"

Something within me is urging me to trust this mysterious vampire and unconsciously I let down my water shield.

Slowly Edward gets to his feet and starts to make his way towards me never breaking eye contact allowing me to drown in their depths.

Kneeling down on the rocks surface he reaches out his hand to me.

Guided by unknown forces I move my own hand out of the water and grasp his cold one.

I bite my lips and shut my eyes against the pain as his strong grip lift me out of the water but cry out when the rocks surface scrapes against the wound.

An extra set of cold hands gently help my body and lay me down and when I open my eyes and look down I see Carlisle next to me ghosting his fingers over the wound. Traces of the plant material I had used to try to stop the blood flow are still stuck to the edges.

"How did this happen?"

I look into his worried eyes before I answer, but see no malicious intent.

"I got caught in the storm when I was at the surface looking for shelter. A wave pushed me into the rocks at the bottom of a cliff side."

"I will have to stitch this up back at the office I don't have the supplies to help you here. Will you be willing to come with us? I will personally guarantee you will be in no danger from us or the rest of our coven."

I look from Carlisle into Edwards pleading eyes and I nod my head timidly seeing that I have no other option.

Carlisle whispers something to Edward that I would normally have been able to hear had I not been hurt. A second later Edward has removed his sweater handing it to Carlisle leaving him in only a white t-shirt. Carlisle ties the sweater around my hip to put pressure on the wound after which Edward puts his arms beneath me and lift me into his arms. I whimper a bit from the pain of being moved but wrap my arms around his neck and bury my face in his chest needing the sense of safety I get from his closeness.

They run at full speed and soon I see light behind my eyelids. I open them to see a massive white house with large windows. The light comes from large lamps above the door. Carlisle has moved ahead of us and has opened the door for Edward who carries me inside.

I'm starting to feel uncomfortably dry; I've never been this far from the water.

Five pairs of golden eyes and shocked gasps follow Edward's entry and frightened of that many eyes on me I shrink back into his arms. I sigh in relief when they don't stop to explain but instead keep moving.

He follows Carlisle through an open a door at the end of a hallway and put me down on the surface of some kind of table.

The scales on my tail feel dry and a tingly sensation starts at my fins moving up my tail as the last of the water dries off starting the transformation of my tail into legs.

Carlisle had been moving around the room gathering supplies not bothering to hide his speed but he stops in his tracks and both of them stare open mouthed as my tail transform into legs.

"Well that will make it easier to stitch up" Carlisle mutters under his breath causing Edward to smile crookedly and me to get lost in his eyes once again.

Seeing that my now human form is completely naked Edward grab a nearby sheet and cover me with it. Carlisle instructs me to lie on the uninjured side of my hip facing the wall so he can get started on cleaning the wound. Edward has moved to sit on the other side of the table on a small chair taking my hand.

"I'm sorry, but I fear the effects human pain medication will have on you. I'm afraid I will have to stitch you up without it."

I didn't know what he meant by pain medication, but by the tone in his voice I gathered that whatever was next would hurt would hurt more than it already did…

Carlisle's gentle fingers returned to the wound and shortly after I felt the sting of a needle pierce the tender flesh of the wound. Tears started streaming down my face from the pain and I whimpered into the sheet and bit down on the fabric so I wouldn't scream. Edward squeezed my hand and started to stroke my hair trying to comfort me.

Carlisle worked quickly though, putting his speed to good use.

When he was done he took my hand and guided me to a sitting position while Edward handed me some kind of white coat to cover up with.

I was exhausted and it must have been showing.

"We have a spare room with a bed if you would like to rest. There's still a storm outside so going back would be dangerous." Carlisle gently offered.

I nodded my head accepting the offer. I hadn't slept since I left home and I was too tired to contemplate the sanity of sleeping in a house full of vampires.

"Can you stand?"

I shrugged my shoulder furrowing my brow in thought.

"I don't know I've never had legs before…"

Edward reached out his hand and I took it slowly scooting forward on my seat till my feet touched the ground. It was an odd sensation and a small giggle escaped my lips at the tingly sensation of the fabric on the ground under my feet earning me an amused gaze from Edward and Carlisle. Putting weight on my feet I attempted to stand, but the second I was free of the table my knees gave way and I collapsed towards the floor but Edward caught me in time.

The final strain must have been the last drop and I started to lose consciousness. I noticed the feeling of his cold arms once again supporting my weight and jostle me lightly as he carried me out of the room. My ears picked up on some voices that seemed close by and yet far away at the same time, the way I've been told humans hear sounds under water. Before blackness consumed me completely I felt the softness and warmth of what must have been the bed.

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**A/N:**_ Thank you so much for reading, please leave me a review to tell me what you think of it :)_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**_ Thanks for reading and especially thank you to those who left reviews and/or added this story to their fav/follow list ;)_

_In this chapter there's a bit more background info, bear with me, I tried to make it as interesting as possible :)_

**Disclaimer:** _Any recognizable parts don't belong to me, they belong to Stephenie Meyer and whoever else is lucky enough to own them ;)_

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**BPOV**

I came to later, a lot later I suspected. I felt parched and dry. And not just the dry feeling from when I gained my legs but the kind that went through my entire being leaving me weak and feeling overheated, the kind of dry I had been told comes from being out of the water for too long.

I opened my eyes to a simple room with white walls and cream furniture. The sun was streaming in the large windows and lighting up the rooms.

I gave a weak cough and tried to scoot out of the sun, whimpering when I aggravated my hip in the process. I felt utterly weak and I barely had the strength to move my limbs.

The door opened and in stepped Edward who came up to the bed.

"How are you feeling?"

I coughed again, heaving a little for breath.

"How long was I sleeping?"

I thanked god for his good hearing otherwise I'm sure he wouldn't have heard me since I couldn't get my voice above a whisper.

"25 hours and 17 minutes..."

It was getting harder to breathe. My throat felt like it was lined with sandpaper. Edward called for Carlisle who was at his side in an instant.

He came over and sat on the bed putting his fingers on my wrist first and a next a hand on my forehead.

"Her pulse is racing and her temperature is off the charts…"

Carlisle looked lost and worry was evident on both their faces.

My breath was becoming more labored interspersed with dry coughs.

"Water…" I managed to choke out "Need to get in the water"

"Should we get her back to the river?" Edward asked.

"I don't think we have the time… fill up the largest tub we have in the house to the brim - with cold water preferably, we'll bring her there for a start"

Carlisle bit out the instructions and lifted me into his arms. He ran with me after Edward I assumed to some water.

My hearing picked up the sound of rushing water and I gave a small sigh of relief which was interrupted by another round of dry coughs. I could feel the presence of other vampires following Carlisle but I had no energy to take notice of it.

"What's wrong Carlisle? I thought she was sleeping…"

I heard a female voice talk to Carlisle.

"She was but she woke up deteriorating fast. She said she needed to be in water… I'm hoping a bathtub will do, she doesn't look like she will make it to the river where we found her."

He stepped through another door and I could feel the water nearby. I must have been close to death because I could feel the remnants of my magic draw water from where it was and settle on my skin. I could hear murmurs in the background but all I could focus on was the relieved feeling as the water surrounded my body as I was lowered into it and my legs giving way to my familiar tail. Completely submerged I drew deep breaths in the water and focused on drawing in the energy of the water to replenish my magic.

"I think it's working…"

"She's beautiful…"

"Did you see the way the water acted when you put her in?"

"Look, she's actually breathing under water…"

My strength was returning and I could hear the seven vampires in the room talk amongst themselves as my senses returned to their full strength. I wouldn't reach my full potential before I was back in the ocean and healed but for now it would do.

I opened my eyes. I was in a large bathtub in the corner of the room. It wasn't big enough to swim in but it was big enough for the entire length of me and my tail to be submerged. I could see seven pairs of eyes looking at me through the water, Carlisle and Edward standing closest. Next to Carlisle was a woman with light brown hair and a heart shaped face. Next were a big guy with short black curly hair and a goofy grin on his face and a beautiful blond woman with a sneer on her face under his arm. Next to Edward was a small girl with short black hair holding the hand of a man with blond hair a little darker than Carlisle's, many crescent shaped scars up his neck and a cautious look on his face. He frightened me a bit. I recognized that the scars could only have come from other vampires, he had to be dangerous.

I moved to put as much distance as possible between me and the unknown vampires only moving my head out of the water. Carlisle and Edward might have helped me, and I trusted them, but that didn't extend to the rest of them. I tested the feel of my abilities and knew I could move the water with my will and put up a shield strong enough to protect me if needed be.

I shrugged out of the white coat I was still wearing since it chafed against my sensitive scales. Carlisle reached his hand into the water and fished it out along with the bandage that had come off when I went into the water.

"Feeling better?"

"Much, thank you"

"This is the rest of our coven; My wife Esme" he pointed to the woman next to him with light brown hair, "Emmett and his wife Rosalie" the big guy and the sneering blond, "and finally Alice and her husband Jasper" he pointed to the small girl and the blond vampire with the scars.

"Will you tell us about what happened? And maybe your name as well, we can't keep calling you mermaid."

I nodded my head and looked to Edward for strength as I started speaking.

"My name is Anabelle, but I prefer to be called Bella. A Mermaids life magic depends on and is supplied by water. When we're in the water our magic draws its energy from there, but when we're on land it draws on the water within us. That's why when we're separated from the water for more than a day, the water within us dries to the point that we could die. Being in the sun accelerates this process. That's why my kind only comes on land at night; this is my first time though."

"Your kind comes on land a lot?" Edward asked

I shook my head no.

"We only come on land when we get lonely and search for male companionship. There are only female mermaids; it's the only way for us to reproduce. It is dangerous though not only because we're out of the water but because our blood smells better to vampires than that of an ordinary human."

Rosalie's face grew stormy and she pinned me with a death glare that I promptly ignored choosing instead to look into Edwards eyes.

The big guy beside her put his arms around her calming her down. He looked like a big kid with curiosity shining in his face but before he could say anything he was interrupted by Edward.

"Are there many of you?"

I shook my head no.

"No, but I don't have an exact number. We don't meet more than two or three at the most at a time. That rule was set in place to avoid detection by humans and especially vampires. The few times vampires have come across mermaids we haven't had the greatest survival rate."

During my little speech I had become entirely occupied with the tips of my hair to avoid their stares. I was a little uncomfortable with the attention and the fact that I was stuck in the tub, necessary as the water might be.

"What abilities do you have?"

Carlisle interrupted my fascination with my hair with his question but I couldn't help but forgive him when I saw the true curiosity of a scientist in his eyes.

I smiled a bit and decided to give them a small demonstration of something they already witnessed and let small tentacles of water rise up from the surface around me and form a shield after a little while.

"We can control the water to some degree. In situations like you saw before where we are close to drying up our magic will draw in any water nearby to lend us strength to get in. we breathe underwater, swim faster than any living creature, sense surrounding marine life and our singing voices are unparalleled and able to hypnotize humans if we wish. Mermaids are in a sense immortal; we don't age or sicken but we can get hurt as you saw and we can get killed"

"But then why haven't a body of a mermaid ever been found?" Carlisle asked.

I let go of the water shield and had the water float around the room in bubbles instead before I answered.

The small black haired one, Alice I think, started giggling and reaching out her hand to touch the bubbles.

"If we die on land our form remains human but if we die in the ocean our bodies dissolve into foam upon the waves. It is a safety feature to help keep our existence secret"

"How old are you exactly?"

"Edward, that's not a thing to ask a woman!" Esme scolded.

He looked so adorable with his sheepish look on his face which made me giggle a bit before I answered.

"No, it's fine… I'm only around 200 years old but I'm not entirely sure, we don't bother much with measuring time since our lives are very solitary and our customs remain a constant"

"Fascinating…"

"Yeah… It's all very fascinating! Am I the only one here who wants to know why she's here?!"

"Rosalie! We already covered that, she is injured and needed our help."

Carlisle's voice had a sharp edge to it I hadn't heard before and Edwards face had become murderous. It almost made me suspect there was something more to what she had said.

"She has a right to ask" I whispered "this is her home."

"I didn't mean to intrude; it was never part of my plan. I came north to find a home in oceans where I could feel free. I was born in the southern regions of the Pacific and lived there all my life until a couple of days ago. But mermaids have become quite confined in the southern oceans since the modern innovations in scuba gear, underwater cameras, glass bottom boats, etc., it severely limits the time and places we can eat, sleep and hunt for food. We have to be hyper vigilant at every moment much like you have to with sunlight. It would be a disaster if it was to be known that mermaids are real and not just the imaginations of delirious sailors or drunken vampires."

"What are you talking about 'drunken vampires'" Rosalie was skeptic and her tone still held a hint of acid.

"The reason why the existence of mermaids are not more known amongst vampires…"

I answered looking at each of them, but especially Carlisle who had an unidentifiable look to him.

"Mermaid blood has a certain almost poisonous quality to it that makes us immune to your venom, but makes any vampire who drinks it delirious like when a human have been on a binge, and it makes it very hard for them to remember who or what they ate. But you already knew that didn't' you Carlisle?"

I asked him looking him in the eyes. He nodded his head yes…

"Ever since I stayed with the Volturi coven I have been called in when vampire expressed the symptoms you described. It's only been three times total but it was enough to fuel my curiosity and do some research. I'm ashamed to admit that I never came closer than an educated guess that even I had trouble believing."

"Well now you know… now you all know… but I need to know that I can trust you, that what I told you here never leaves this room!"

"Of course"

Edward was the first to answer but they all nodded in agreement, even Rosalie eventually.

"Can I touch your tail?"

Emmett looked like he had been waiting to ask that question the entire time but before I could answer in the confirmative Carlisle interrupted.

"I think we've bothered Bella enough for now, she needs rest after everything that happened"

I smiled at him gratefully as the family started to exit the bathroom. Edward was the last one to leave and I felt a tug in my heart when I could no longer see him.

I sank my head beneath the water's surface and called all the floating bubbles of water back to me.

Closing my eyes I focused once again on taking deep breaths of water and relaxing. The pain in my hip was manageable in the water and I let myself relax completely for the first time in a very long while. Somewhere in the house a piano started playing and I started to hum along with it until I drifted off and fell asleep.

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**_A/N:_**_ Thank you so much for reading ;) the next chapter will probably take a few weeks to post since I have an exam coming up in my third year of nursing school (wish me luck), but I will post as soon as possible ;)_

_And as always - Please leave a review to tell me what you think ;) reviews on my stories are reasons why I can go an entire day smiling like an idiot and I love it! :D_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**_ So, I'm posting this a lot earlier that planned :) After passing my exam creativity struck and I wanted to share it with you :)_

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own any recognizable parts belong to their rightful owners ;D_

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**BPOV**

Something was shaking at my shoulder disturbing my sleep. Grumpily I opened my eyes a bit to see who was disturbing the first peaceful sleep I had had in a long time. Above the surface Edward's lopsided grin showed. He looked breath taking but I was still annoyed that he woke me up so I made a show of unnecessarily splashing my tail and getting him soaked while I sat up with my head and shoulders above water glaring at him. Unfortunately being wet suited him and made his white button down shirt cling to his well-defined upper body, a sight that had me staring a bit too obviously. Catching my line of sight the annoyed frown morphed into the lopsided grin again. Embarrassed I felt my cheeks flame and started on combing my fingers through my long hair, trying to salvage the knotted mess it had become.

"Sorry to wake you but Carlisle wanted to check on your wound and asked me to help you into his office."

I nodded my head and let go of my hair checking to see that it was covering my modest chest completely.

Almost repeating the scene from the river he reached his hand into the tub and helped me up on the wide ledge. Once I was comfortably seated he took a large piece of fluffy looking fabric and laid it around my shoulders.

"Just to avoid getting water in the hallway" he said.

I nodded again. It was a bit itchy on my scales but soft on my skin making it bearable to be wrapped in.

Once he had me wrapped in the fabric he put his one arm under the bend in my tail and the other around my back and lifted me up in his arms. I reveled in the absolutely illogical feeling of safety I got from being in his arms while he carried me into the hallway turning a few times until he came to an open door where Carlisle was sitting in a chair behind a table with a lot of books on.

He smiled amused when he saw the still soaking Edward carry me into the room.

"You know Edward, I asked you to help her out of the tub not join her in it." Carlisle said chuckling a bit at the end.

I smiled a bit sheepishly before answering him.

"It's my fault really… I'm not very fond of being woken up."

I ducked my head into Edward's chest to avoid their stares but I couldn't help smiling when I felt his chest vibrate with laughter.

"Duly noted, next time I'll try to be gentler"

He laid me down on the same table in the middle of the room like when I first came in here and moved to sit on the other side just like before.

Carlisle stood up to the table opposite of Edward and lifted up the fabric to expose the wound. It had started healing; I could tell that much but it still hurt and I hissed a bit when he was a bit too rough examining the stitches.

"Remarkable, this looks so much better than I had expected. The scales also appear to have formed on the edge of the wound and not getting caught in the stitches like I was worried about."

I could feel the tingle of the transformation in the tips of my fins begin.

"Well you're going to find out how the stitches look in skin in a moment"

I smiled a bit at their awestruck faces as the tingle and the accompanying dry feeling spread. The midnight blue and indigo tones of my tail and fins paled and my tail split into legs. This time I was still modestly covered in the fabric Edward had wrapped around me in the bathroom.

Both of them had taken a step back while I got my legs back but once the transformation was done he stepped back up to look at the wound again.

Edward looked from my legs up to my face again.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing that…" he said while Carlisle nodded his agreement while absorbed in examining the stitches.

My legs were a bit dry and itchy, making them a bit uncomfortable compared to my tail. I guess it was a reminder not to get too far from the water.

"You might not, but I think I could get tired of them after a while – they itch!" I said twisting my face in annoyance.

"They itch?" Carlisle had looked up from the wound to ask the question.

"Yeah… they have this kind of dry feeling about them that's a bit itchy. My tail is definitely more comfortable…"

He looked a bit puzzled, as did Edward; I think they were kind out of their depths when it came to me…

"Well I can say that with the way your wound is healing you should be completely healed in a week or two, after that you should be able to return to the ocean"

He looked a bit sad when he said the last bit and Edward had turned away.

I knew I should be ecstatic that soon I could continue my search for a new home here in the north pacific, but something within me twisted at the thought of never seeing Edward again and I had no idea why. Banishing the thought I tried my best to smile brightly at him.

"Thank you"

Almost as if on cue my stomach growled.

"You sound like you're hungry, what do you usually eat?" Edward asked me.

"Well I usually eat fish that I catch and cut apart with the knife I had on me when you found me or certain types of aquatic plants…" I trailed off

Edward chuckled a bit before answering.

"I don't think we have any of that around but why don't I ask Esme to cook something for you while a certain sister of mine who is outside the door help you in to some clothing?"

I had heard good things of human food from those my sisters who had gone on land, but since this was my first time I hadn't had the opportunity before.

"Ready to try walking again?" Edward asked

In response I sat up and swung my legs over to the side of the table that Carlisle was standing at. Edward moved around so they were standing on either side of me.

I secured the fabric around me so it wouldn't fall off me when I took both their hands for support.

Scooting forward I touched my feet to the floor again and again I giggled from the fabric on the floor.

"It tickles…" I explained looking up in their amused faces.

"Yes, I imagine your feet are very sensitive" Carlisle answered with a smile.

Grasping their hands tighter I put weight on my feet making sure to clench the muscles in my legs while I did. In a second I was standing up fully with legs shaking from the strain and holding on to their hands for dear life.

"Good, now try to relax your legs a bit before you move one foot in front of the other." Carlisle told me.

"You won't let me fall?"

I looked into Edwards eyes, almost forgetting what we were doing, until he smiled and said:

"Never"

Gently I lifted one foot off the ground and put it in front of the other. Triumphant I looked up grinning only to get lost in Edwards answering smile.

Carlisle coughed a bit to get my attention.

"Good, now try again…"

I tried again and again, each time becoming steadier in my movements while they lead me towards the door.

When we were a couple of steps away the door swung open to reveal the small vampire they called Alice bouncing on her feet.

"Ooh, you're doing so well! Wait till I get you in a dress you will look so pretty!"

I smiled at her enthusiasm. I was now so steady on my feet that Carlisle let go of my hand and left it to Edward to lead me the rest of the way.

Stumbling with Edward catching me every few steps we followed Alice to her room.

Once we entered I noticed the décor was quite different than the rest the rooms I had seen so far that had been neutrally decorated in white and cream colors. The walls here were a dark blue with dark wooden furniture, vases with beautiful purple flowers and several pictures lining the wall of Alice and Jasper in different style clothing in each picture. The main feature was a huge bed with black and dark blue linens.

Edward led me to the edge of the bed where I sat down after which Edward was promptly chased out of the room.

"So… what shall we do with your hair?"

Alice asked me and took my hand leading me to sit on a small stool in front of a table with a mirror and countless pots, combs, brushes and other stuff I had no name for.

Looking in my reflection I studied my face that had shadows under my eyes and a flush to my cheeks that wouldn't normally be there in the cold water. My hair was tangled from missing my daily combings and the struggle with the waves. Some of the pearls that one of my sisters had weaved through my hair before I left was still there but most had fallen out.

In response to Alice's question I shrugged my shoulder. I have always been the quiet type from spending so much time on my own, something I would get teased about from my sisters when I met up with them. I reached for the comb that reminded me most of the one that had been in my pouch but before I could reach it Alice had snatched it out of my fingers and started to comb out the tips of my hair. My hair was still a bit damp from being in the water so when she had combed it through she took some kind of device that made a horrible noise that frightened me so much I screamed.

"What is that noise?!" I croaked when she turned it off.

She just laughed and showed it to me saying;

"This is a Blow-dryer; it creates hot air that dries your hair."

She worked her magic on my hair and soon for the first time in my life my mahogany brown hair was completely dry framing my face in loose waves. Dumbfounded I stared into the mirror at my new reflection. Alice squeezed my shoulders looking at my reflection over my shoulder.

"I think we should leave it as it is, come we'll pick you out a dress."

She opened a door and inside was a room larger than the one we came from stacked floor to ceiling with clothing. She left me at the doorway flitting about the room in vampire speed handing me two small lacy garments. One I had no name for the other looked like a pair of tiny pants. Holding up the garments I looked at her and asked:

"What is this Alice?"

"That's underwear, silly; panties and a bra."

I only looked at her weird. I could figure out what to do with the panties but the other garment I had no idea.

"Haven't you ever worn underwear before?"

She stopped her running about the room to ask me the question. I shook my head no before answering.

"Mermaids don't cover up. Fabric is uncomfortable when it is wet and our scales are sensitive and gets chafed by it."

She shook her head a bit with a smile on her lip before flitting over to me with a midnight blue dress in her hands. She put the dress down, quickly helping me into the undergarments before helping me into the dress. The piece she called a bra was uncomfortable and I wished she had left it out, but the dress was in a soft flowing fabric that hugged my upper body and flared at my hips. When she had helped me into the dress she moved over to a wall of shoes. From somewhere in the house we could hear Edward.

"No heels Alice! She has enough trouble walking as it is, we don't want Carlisle to treat her for a broken ankle as well!"

Alice simply poked her tongue out of her mouth in the direction of Edward's voice before muttering

"Perhaps he is right…"

"How did he know to say that?"

I was baffled by Edward's outburst.

"Oh, he reads minds… but don't worry he can't read yours, he have been whining about it ever since they brought you here."

He can read minds! I was stunned but oddly relieved that he hadn't heard all my embarrassing thoughts about him.

"Can any of the others do that as well?"

"No, only Edward can read minds, but I can see the future and Jasper can read and project emotions. Only Jasper's gift works on you even though he haven't tried projecting anything to you yet… it's actually quite frustrating, you're creating a blind spot in my vision wherever you are…"

"Sorry…" was my automatic response even though I was secretly glad that her gift didn't work on me. I was slightly scared though that Jasper's gift worked, I didn't quite trust him yet…

"Don't be" she smiled at me "it's nice not knowing everything that's going to happen for a change."

She bent down and put my feet in a pair of black slippers. She turned me to the mirror to give me the full effect. I couldn't quite believe the effect of the simple dress in the color of my tail accentuating my fair complexion and the hair reaching my lower back in loose waves.

My stomach rumbled again as if on cue.

"Come on; let's get you something to eat."

She took my hand and led me through to the kitchen where I could smell something delicious coming from.

I sat down at the chair Alice led me to behind the counter where I could see Esme running around the kitchen until she approached me with a plate of something.

"Mushroom tortellini with cream sauce and parmesan cheese."

She smiled handing me what I had been told was a fork and knife, but it had slipped my mind how to use them. I was sitting there with the plate in front of me examining the instruments when Edward came into the room taking pity on me. He picked the knife out of my hand and putting it on the table and taking my other hand and placing the fork in it the way I was supposed to hold it. He led the hand with the fork towards the plate, put a piece of food on it and guided it towards my mouth.

The food was unlike anything I've ever tasted. It was warm for a start and it was just another world of flavors. I still liked my raw fish better but it was delicious.

"Thank you" I smiled sheepishly at him trying to hide partially behind my hair while he sat beside me. "My sisters taught me about the human world but it's a long time ago and some of it didn't quite stick."

"Do you miss them?"

"A bit, but I don't miss the hyper vigilant lifestyle. The beauty though of the deep coral reefs at night is something I'll miss, but I'll go back someday…"

I enjoyed the easy silence between us as I ate. Esme and Alice had slipped out of the room at some point. When I finished Edward took my plate to the sink. He came back to me taking my hand and looking me in the eyes.

"I was wondering if you would like to come with me somewhere to enjoy the rare sunshine?"

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**A/N:**_ Thanks you for reading, and especially those of you who have left a review or added the story to your fav/follow list :)_

_- Please leave a review to tell me what you think of this chapter or the story in general ;)_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** _Thank you so much for reading and especially to those of you who have left a review._

**Disclaimer:**_ Any recognizable parts don't belong to me but their rightful owners._

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**BPOV**

I was a bit apprehensive. I had only ever been in the sunshine when I was almost fully submerged in the water and it had been so long because the daytime was when the oceans were most overrun with humans ever since they invented scuba gear and surfboards. That and I didn't feel like a repeat performance so soon of how I reacted out of the water in the sun.

"You don't have to worry; I will run you there and keep to the shadows. Where we're going there's a small stream where you can enjoy some water coming straight from the ocean. So, do you want to go?"

My smile spread wider and wider while he spoke and when he finished with the question I nodded my head vigorously.

"I would love to"

Edward tugged on the hand he held leading me off the chair and through the house towards the front door. Once outside he swung me up in his arms and almost automatically I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Ready?"

"Yes"

He took off running as fast as he did the night they found me, only this time I wasn't nearly as weak, so instead of hiding my face in his chest I looked at the amazing show of trees zooming past us while he ran. My senses wasn't entirely up to vampire standard yet as they would be once I healed, but I could still see most of the things we ran past clearly.

After a couple of minutes the trees started to clear a bit. He stopped at the tree line of a meadow filled with flowers and a stream to our right. The sun was shining unhindered and only a few puffs of clouds were decorating the blue skies.

He put me down but didn't let go of my hand. Small tingles were shooting up my arm from where we were touching, pleasantly distracting me from the uncomfortable warm feeling of being outside in the middle of the day, even though we were still in the trees shadow. I could feel Edward's cool temperature from his hand and moved a step closer to him earning me a smirk from him.

"Come on, the stream is over here… It will keep your temperature down."

He led me through the trees until we were at the edge of the stream. It was about five feet wide and about 3 ½ feet deep. The water was clear and rocks at the bottom were smooth from the currents. I could hear a small waterfall in the distance. My skin was itching for me to get in, but I was a bit self-conscious about undressing in front of Edward. I knew I had to though because the clothing would be uncomfortable in the water and get ruined if I was to just jump in. I know mermaids usually don't cover up, but since there are only females of the species we don't see it as that big of a deal.

"What are you waiting for?" Edward asked me.

"I kind of don't want to ruin the pretty dress Alice gave me by getting it wet and I would have to undress anyway to get in…"

I trailed of in my sentence not being able to look him in the eye and blushing a furious red.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry…" he stuttered, I smiled knowing vampires usually didn't do that, "I'll take a walk around the meadow, you just take your time"

He looked like his face would be even redder than mine and the sheepish look on his face was so adorable I couldn't contain my giggle.

"See you in a bit then…" I called after him when he turned around and walked away.

I stripped the dress off quickly and would have as well with the bra if it had cooperated. In the end I broke the straps in the attempt to get it off. Getting the panties off was a bit more painful than I would have liked and I hissed involuntary when the fabric dragged over the wound in my haste to get in the water. Once stripped of clothing I walked in to the water and made to the middle where the water came to just below my hip before the transformation of legs to tail had me lay down in the water.

When I got my tail back I could feel the remnants of vibrant energy that marked the water as coming from the ocean along with the call of the sea to the west. Mermaids on land could always tell in which direction the nearest ocean would be.

Sinking my head below the surface the water was just deep enough for me to swim slowly and carefully in to the part of the stream that was bathed in the meadows sunlight.

Edward was waiting for me. He had removed his shoes and folded up his pants and sat with his feet in the water leaning back on his hands with his face towards the sky. His skin was shining brilliantly in the sun, reflecting the light onto the nearby stones and flowers. It was a magical sight to behold and if he had not heard me coming I could have spent the rest of the day just looking at him.

"You're even more beautiful in the sun" Edward said, smiling at me.

I looked down to see the sun making the different tones that made up the midnight blue and indigo tones of my tail shine and stand out individually.

"You know I could say the same, I was told how vampires look in the sun but it is quite another thing entirely to see it in person."

"That's why we stay here the wettest place in the continental US. Days like today where we can't go in public are so rare we get to live almost normal lives here."

"What do you mean normal?"

"Carlisle has a job as a doctor at the local hospital and the rest of us apart from Esme attend the local high school."

"Don't you eventually have to leave, I mean people notice that you don't age don't they?"

"They do, but the younger we start out in a new place the longer we get to stay. We have a couple of years left before people are going to start asking questions."

I moved to lie on my stomach on the bank of the stream next to Edward, keeping my tail in the water. Reaching out I plucked a random flower and started twirling it, admiring the colors while I hummed a tune.

"Can I ask you to sing for me?" Edward asked

I shook my head no. "It will draw any humans within miles, it's too risky…"

"But that's why I like coming here to think. The forest is so dense around here that paths near this meadow are few and rough to travel. Nobody but I or my family has been here in all the time we've lived in the area."

He smiled his crooked smile that could rival the sun and my resolve faded. It would be nice to sing properly again and Edward wouldn't be affected by it like a human would.

Returning his smile I started to sing the song of the origins of mermaids. We don't keep books or writings of our history so everything is written in songs. The language we sing in is ancient Greek from when the first were created by Poseidon in the depths of the Mediterranean.

During my song we never broke eye contact. With every note wee gravitated closer together until our faces were barely touching by the end of the song.

I was about to lean in and close the distance when the sound of something big coming our way interrupted us.

Edward's face morphed from the beautiful crooked smile to one of barely contained panic. He swiftly grabbed my waist and helped me in to the stream again.

"Hide" he whispered urgently, barely loud enough for me to hear "swim somewhere safe as fast as you can, someone's coming"

"But I thought you said humans don't come across here!?"

"It's not humans, now GO!"

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**A/N:**_ So, I know this chapter is a bit of a short one and I've left it on a bit of a cliffy, I promise to update asap to make it up to you ;)_

_Keep reading and please leave a review to let me know what you think :D_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**_ So first of all, THANK YOU to those of you who have left a review! They make me smile, laugh and love to keep writing this story :) _

_You may have noticed that i changed the title from "A new shade of Supernatural in Forks" to "A fish may love a bird...". i was never really happy with the old title, but since the story had to have one for me to publish it that was what I decided on at the time. I got my inspiration for the new title from a quote from the movie Ever After with Drew Barrymore. In the movie the character Danielle who is a servant girl in love with a prince ask Leonardo Da Vinci "A bird may love a fish signore, but where would they live?" to which he replies "Then i shall build you wings!". I thought that the quote was quite fitting due to Edward's and Bella's different natures but i chose to switch bird and fish since this story is mainly in Bella's perspective. Please tell me if you think it was a good idea or if you hate it and think i should change the title back :)_

_Enough with my rambling I left you on a cliffy in the last chapter, better get on with it ;)_

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own any recognizable parts ;)_

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**BPOV**

I nodded my head a few times and went below the surface. It was a bit cramped swimming in the shallow water and I couldn't apply much speed. My heart was pounding in my chest, fear running through my veins. I hated leaving Edward like that but if something was dangerous enough to scare a vampire then I knew I didn't stand a chance against it.

"This is neutral territory"

Edward's voice was faint and by the time he got a reply I was too far away to hear anything other than the muffled sound of voices.

The stream was getting a bit wider now and I could swim a bit faster. The wider space was counteracted by the fact that the current I was swimming against were getting stronger. Pain laced from the wound and greatly hindered how fast I could swim.

Several sets of heavy running footsteps by the riverbank made the ground vibrate and I could hear it clear as day. They were following me; in these shallow waters I would be painstakingly visible to everyone but a blind man and by the sound of it, it was not even humans that were following me. Whatever was following me must have been what Edward made me run from.

Panic went through me as my followers gained up on me. Had I been on land the tears of pain and fear that were running down my face would have been visible but in the river they simply blended with the water.

I pushed forward as fast I could and dared. The smooth rocks that lined the bottom of the stream where I left Edward were now replaced by rougher rocks. The stream had widened to a river and when I looked up from the bottom I could see why I had been swimming upstream. The water was cloudy from sand and mud whirled up by the force of the waterfall that was up ahead, effectively blocking my path. I looked above the surface, the waterfall was 10 feet high and I was not strong enough nor was the water deep enough for me to be able to jump it.

I looked around in a panic. The waterfall fell from a smooth rock surface and there were no caves or anything like that where I could hide.

This would be my end, I was sure of it, but I wouldn't turn myself over to whatever would be here in a few seconds by the sound of it. I scrambled over to the opposite side of the river, opting to put as much distance as possible between myself and what had been following me, and put up a shield from the surrounding water. I couldn't be sure of the strength of it but I put all my concentration in it and held on to a nearby oversized rock. It wouldn't hide me and especially not my tail, so instead I ignored the pain in my hip and folded up my tail to make as small a target of myself as possible.

The rumbling of heavy footprints became louder and out between the trees barreled three enormous wolves that were growling heavily. They stopped just short of the riverbank and stared at me with wide eyes, their growling dying down. These could not be ordinary wolves, there were too much intelligence behind their eyes, but they couldn't be children of the moon either seeing as it was broad daylight and the full moon was two weeks away. These creatures went beyond the legends that mermaids had been collecting.

We continued to stare at each other, neither of us moving a muscle. To my luck they didn't seem inclined to approach the water any more than they already had. I knew I must look frightened to them and tears were still streaming down my face beyond my control.

Our stare off were interrupted when two more wolves joined us followed closely by Edward and Carlisle. I had panicked more when I saw the new wolves, but I dared to hope that I would make it out of here alive when I saw them.

"Sam, please" Carlisle said to the black wolf approaching him, "Call off your pack mates. She can't hurt you and they are scaring her"

The wolf huffed after studying me closely and turned around to go behind a tree. The other wolves didn't move a muscle continuing to stare and growl lowly at me. I heard some rustling and a moment later a tall, dark skinned man with short black hair stepped out glaring at Carlisle and Edward.

He shifted his glare to me and I flinched at the heat of his gaze.

"How do we know you are telling the truth?" he bit out tersely not taking his eyes off me.

"She hasn't done anything yet has she?" Edward almost yelled at Sam and got a chorus of growls in response from both the wolves and the man.

"Edward! Settle down; let's try to keep this peaceful." Carlisle said to Edward while he laid a hand on his shoulder. "Sam, Mermaids are peaceful creatures and their abilities are mainly defensive, add to that she's injured. She won't be a threat to you or your tribe."

"Do you have any offence abilities?" Sam asked, approaching the river and crossing his arms over his chest while glaring at me.

I flinched slightly and hated myself for looking so weak, but I was not used to this amount of hostile attention so I couldn't help it.

"I sing…" I couldn't get my voice much louder than a whisper due to the panic still coursing my veins. One of the wolves, the silver gray one by the riverbank, scoffed and narrowed his eyes.

"You sing?" Sam looked disbelieving "Since when is that an offensive ability?"

"It is hypnotic to humans; they will follow a mermaid anywhere if she sings to them"

"Into the water where they drown…" Sam trailed off.

I nodded weakly

"But I swear I have never done that! This is the closest I've ever been to land in my entire life! You have to believe me, I would never do that, the only reason I was singing before is that I thought no one was around for miles!"

I was getting frantic by the end of my speech and when I moved too quickly a sharp pain from my wound shot through me causing me to cry out in pain and blood to start seep into the water. Edward looked to me in alarm and wasted no time jumping in the river when he spotted the blood. In a second he was standing in the shallow water with his hands on my shield and staring at me with pleading eyes.

"Bella please let me in!"

I shook my head no looking from him to the wolves. I didn't dare let down my shield for a second in the off chance that one of the wolves decided it was time for a swimming lesson.

"Sam, please!" Carlisle pleaded with him, "She is injured and needs help. My son and I found her two nights ago and she's been staying with us until she recovers. We take full responsibility for her!"

Sam stood there looking from me to Carlisle for what felt like an eternity until he finally spoke.

"Fine, but she stays off our land. We will be patrolling any coast area in the territory and if her scent is near any accidents in the water she's fair game!"

He glared at me a final time before exploding in to the giant black wolf I saw before. He sent up a howl before him and the other wolves turned around and ran.

Carlisle released a breath he had been holding and turned towards Edward and me before he took a couple of steps and jumped in the water. Seconds later he appeared next to Edward.

"Bella, they're gone now. Please let us in so we can help you…" Edward pleaded with me again.

I looked everywhere making sure that there were no signs of them. I could start to feel the effects of blood loss and the reopened wound ached not to mention the muscles in my tail from staying in this cramped position. The hold I had on my shield was slipping.

I looked into Edwards eyes again and seeing his worried look pleading with me I gave in and let go of my shield. Edward rushed forward and grabbed me, hugging me like I was a lifeline. Finally in the safety of his arms the reality of what had happened hit me and I broke into sobs, clinging on to Edward's shirt and buried my face in his chest.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry…" he kept whispering into my hair.

"Son, we should get her out of the water to stop the bleeding." Carlisle spoke softly next to us.

I could feel Edward nodding against my head and before I knew it I was hoisted up into his arms and was lying on the ground next to the river.

"The stitches are ripped so I have to sow it back up at the house, but the bleeding is not as bad as it was in the original wound, it has managed to heal somewhat."

"Thank you Carlisle, for everything, if there's any way I can pay you back..."

"Nonsense, you're welcome Bella" he answered me with a kind smile "besides meeting you is reward enough for our family." Carlisle shared a knowing look with Edward at the end which left me wondering

"Now, let's get you back to the house"

Carlisle tied his jacket around the wound and almost immediately after I was back in Edwards arms while they were running through the trees.

At the house we were greeted by the entire family except Rosalie out front.

"What happened?" Esme's voice was frantic and she rushed forward to embrace Carlisle

"It's my fault" Edward answered before Carlisle could get a chance to. "I asked her to sing for me and the wolves heard it and thought we had invited a vampire without informing them."

Emmett burst out laughing "They have got to check their eyesight, she's definitely not a vampire!"

"But how did Carlisle know to get there?" I looked up to Edward as I asked the question that had been running through my mind ever since they both showed up by the river.

"I saw his future disappear" Alice said "Edward had mentioned where he took you so I figured when I saw his future disappear as well that you needed him for something."

"Edward" Carlisle called for him "we should bring her inside and tend to the wound. I promise we will explain everything in better detail once we get this settled" Carlisle addressed the latter to the rest of the family.

As soon as she heard it Esme did a double take of me and seemed to notice for the first time that her husband's beige trench coat was wrapped around my hips with a blood stain on it that were spreading by the minute.

"Oh dear, yes get her inside. Alice, find her some clothes for when she's dry and I'll find you something to eat" she looked to me with her kind smile

"And you two!" she pointed to Emmett and Jasper "Go clean up the mess you made in the living room!"

Edward snickered at them while he carried me in to the house.

"What did they do?"

"I'll tell you about it in a minute"

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**A/N:** _Love it? Hate it? leave a review and let me know what you think ;)_


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:**_ I'm back :) i know it's been a long time since I posted the last chapter and mainly I blame the fact that I'm in my last year of nursing school and between cramming for lessons and work there's not a lot of room left in my head for creative writing. But with the holidays coming up i found some time to write and to reward those of you taking time to read this will be the longest chapter in this story so far. _

_I would like to thank everybody who have added this story to their fav/follow list and especially those of you who leave a review. They really meant a lot and inspire me to continue writing. Plus on the bonus side whenever I have a bad day i tend to read some of the really sweet ones and they make me smile like an idiot all over again :D_

_I would like to say that I've taken quite a few creative liberties with Greek mythology in this chapter, so keep in mind that this is just for entertainment purposes. _

**Disclaimer:**_ Any recognizable part does not belong to me, only plot lines, etc. ;)_

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**BPOV**

Back in Carlisle's study it was almost like deja-vu; me on the table with Edward holding my hand and Carlisle on the other side examining the wound.

"It's not too bad this time around, the bleeding has almost stopped. It will be easiest for me to sow this up when you have your legs, that way I don't have to worry about snagging any scales, I hope you don't mind?" Carlisle said.

I shook my head and was about to answer him when the door opened and in walked Alice with a stack of towels taller than her head.

"I figured you might need these. Once the boys are done with you I found a fabulous new dress for you to wear."

She dumped the towels in the chair by the door before she grinned at me and flitted out the door.

"Oh god, the dress, I left it in the woods!"

I felt so guilty it was such a beautiful dress.

"Don't worry" Edward said "it gives her a justification to keep up her shopping addiction"

"Shopping addiction?" that was a term I was not quite familiar with.

"Alice is quite fond of purchasing clothing for the entire family, sometimes in unnecessary amounts." Carlisle said while picking up a couple of towels from the chair.

"I heard that!" came Alice's mocked outraged voice from somewhere in the house just before a loud crash came from the direction of the living room.

"What was that?" I asked.

"What Jasper and Emmett was doing, but I promise it's better you see it in person." Edward said with that handsome smirk on his face.

Carlisle handed him a towel and they set to work gently drying my tail.

It wasn't the most pleasant of experiences but I think Alice found the softest towels she could.

After a couple of minutes I started to feel the telltale tingle at the tip off my fins that warned me I was about to get feet.

"Hand me one of the towels" I asked them stretching out my hand

Edward looked up at me with a worried look.

"Anything wrong?"

"No" I could feel my cheeks starting to warm up "I just don't want to be naked when I get my legs in a couple of seconds"

The same adorable embarrassed look from the forest came over his face while Carlisle spread a towel over me. As soon as I had my legs he set to work on my hip. It wasn't as bad as last time, but I couldn't help flinching when the needle went through a particular sore spot.

"There you go." Carlisle said when he finished applying some bandages. "I wish all my patients healed as fast as you. Just take it easy so you don't rip the stitches again."

"Yeah, I'll do my best not to get chased by angry werewolves anytime soon" I said sarcastically "by the way they were unlike any werewolves I've ever heard of, it was broad daylight and still they were in wolf form…"

"Technically they are shape shifters, the wolf form is merely a coincidence" Carlisle answered

"How do you know of the true werewolves?" Edward asked and I swear if it were possible he looked like he had paled with the amount of worry displayed on his face.

"The same way I know of vampires, stories from mermaids who have gone on land and from our legends. Though we have more detailed stories on werewolves since they don't crave our blood or can tell that we are different from other human women other than a hint of sea in our scents."

"I would love to hear some of your stories sometime, if you would allow me the privilege?" Carlisle asked, seemingly very intrigued.

"A couple of our stories I can share with you, but some are sacred and I'm afraid I cannot share those…" I looked up at him apologetically.

"I wouldn't ask you to either, but thank you"

I could see the anticipation and curiosity in his eyes and it warmed my heart. It really was rare to find that type of enthusiasm among mermaids. Most were hardened by years and the way life in the southern seas had become. The northern seas were less inhabited by humans but also by mermaids. Mainly because of the less colorful and exotic sea life, but also as I had experienced because of the more dangerous climate.

The door banged open again and before I had time to blink and the little pixie like Alice stood there with a small pile of clothing in her arms.

"Okay, you had your fun now shoo the two of you the girl needs to get dressed"

Minutes later I was on my way to the living room to see what Jasper and Emmett had been up to in another beautiful blue dress, although this one was a lighter shade than the last one, but the same soft material. Alice had thrown a fit when I had refused to wear the lacy deathtrap she called a bra - that was a one-time experience that would definitely not be repeated.

Once I got there I found a new addition had been made in the form of a giant fish tank made to look like some of the coral reefs from home. It looked empty but I knew there were at least fifty fish in there. I could sense their fear but they were all hiding from Emmett who stood and poked the glass like human children sometimes do. Littered around the floor were remnants of what they must have used to build it along with containers from the plants and fish. Edward and Jasper were running around cleaning but stopped when I came into the room. I could understand why Esme had been scolding them; I didn't want to imagine what it had looked like before they had started cleaning at vampire speed if it looked like this now.

"What is this?"

"Emmett's newest attempt at a pet"

Jasper answered me since Edward seemed have lost his ability to speak after he caught sight of me. I almost wanted to check for a spot on the dress since it seemed that it was there that most of his attention was focused, but since I had just put it on I was fairly certain that it was clean.

Jasper poked at Edward with a nearby broom stick which seemed to shake him out of his stupor.

"Yeah" Edward said while shaking his head "he thought it would be a good idea since we now have a resident expert in all things sea related." He sent me that lopsided smile I had become so fond of and I couldn't help sending him one of my own.

Emmett tapped at the glass again and I could feel a wave of fear from the fish as if it were my own which earned me a curious glace from Jasper.

"Stop that Emmett! You are scaring the living daylights out of them!"

I hadn't meant to snap at him, but these creatures were kindred spirits and I hated when such beautiful creatures were afraid.

He turned around to look at me with the most adorable pout on his face and I couldn't stay irritated with him.

"But I just wanted to play with the pretty fishies…"

"You're a vampire Emmett, when will you learn that animals have a natural aversion to us" Jasper commented.

"But I thought fish would be different!"

I couldn't help but take pity on him with that sad look on his face. You could tell he was a gentle soul under that giant appearance.

"Here, I'll help you but you have to step back, they can sense vampires and try not to make any sudden noises." I told him and a wide dimpled grin spread on his face.

I stepped up to the aquarium and put my hands on the glass, I had never attempted what I was about to while not in my mermaid form so I was unsure of the effect. I could already feel they were calmer since Emmett had stepped back but they still wouldn't come out of hiding.

"I will have to sing to draw them out, but I have to be sure no humans or other creatures are around and my hearing is not up to par yet…"

"No one but the family is around Bella." Jasper said

"Yes, please sing" Emmett pouted.

At the mention of singing the rest of the family apart from Rosalie gathered in the living room. Carlisle had a book in his hands that he seemed to have forgotten about, Esme was wiping her hands on her apron, and Alice took a seat in Jaspers lap after she had dragged him to a chair in the corner of the room.

"Okay, but everyone please take a few steps back so that it will be harder for them to sense you"

They did as instructed and took up seating in the other end of the room.

I opened my lips and started to sing a playful tune. One of the first we're taught as kids that lures fish to us so we can play with them since it's rare that we have another mermaid our age to play with.

Usually we send out happy and playful vibes to the fish along with the song but I was almost sure I needed connection with the same body of water as the fishes for that to work, but I tried anyway.

I could tell these fish were bred in captivity. They held no recognition to the song or voice of a mermaid, but one by one they started to peek out of their hiding places. I tried intensifying the vibes I was sending them and I could feel it working a fraction of what it should. By the time I started to sing the song for the third time they were swimming around merrily, but I could tell they were confused as to why I wasn't playing with them like the song promised. It made me a bit sad that I couldn't, it was my favorite pastime rare as it had been, but I was pretty sure that there wasn't enough room for me in the aquarium.

I stopped singing and sending vibes to the fish by the end of the third round of the song and turned back around to see the vampires' reaction.

They all had wide smiles on their faces and both Emmett and Alice looked like they were having trouble sitting still they were that happy.

"That was amazing!" chirped Alice and the rest of them nodded in agreement.

"It truly was I've never heard singing like that said Carlisle, what language was it?" asked Carlisle.

"Ancient Greek; it's our native language that all the songs are written in."

"That was awesome" piped Emmett while putting his fist in the air "but dude, what was with the happy buzz you had going there" he directed at Jasper who shook his head.

"That wasn't me Emmett"

"No, it was me, but I had no idea you guys would be able to feel that, it was directed at the fish" I said with a confused frown on my face pointing behind me, they were not supposed to have felt that… Every face around me went from confusion to shock.

"Why didn't you tell us you had the same ability as Jasper?" Edward asked.

"Because I didn't think that I did… I told you I can sense sea creatures, well part of that is that I can communicate with them by sensing their emotions and sending them vibes of mine. Fish don't have a thought process like humans do, they have instincts and emotions. I had to tune it up since I wasn't in the water with them but I've never heard of vampires being able to feel it."

Granted no vampire had ever been close in that situation before either I added as an afterthought.

"Dude, you could be part fish with that ability of yours" Emmett cracked up while punching Jasper in the shoulder "did Alice ever check for scales or gills?" he continued in between fits of laughter.

"My husband does not have gills thank you very much or scales for that matter" said Alice in a mocked outrageous tone while fighting a smile though Jasper looked rather peeved at the idea.

"Would that be possible?" asked Carlisle.

"Not to my knowledge, no." I answered "Any child between a human and a mermaid will always be 100 % mermaid and will always be female. It's the way it's been since Poseidon created us about 4500 years ago." I trailed off while searching my brain for any rumor of anything else.

"I'm sorry, Poseidon?!" Carlisle's incredulous voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Yes, I've never met him personally, but my great grandmother is one of the original mermaids and she always said he was very kind but had a terrible sense of humor…"

I said in an off-hand tone. I was still focused on searching my memories and didn't notice they were all staring at me before a full two minutes had passed where nothing had moved but the fish.

I looked up and found them staring at me with eyes that were almost falling out of their heads. Even Rosalie had come in the room to partake in the staring.

"What?"

Carlisle was the first to shake out of it enough to talk.

"Are you saying the gods of Greek mythology are real?"

"Of course they are! How else would you think that supernatural creatures like yourself exited?"

Instead of answering Carlisle just opened and closed his mouth, much in the imitation of a fish, seemingly unable to answer. After thirty seconds of this I started to worry.

"Are you okay Carlisle?" I asked him. I knew the Greek gods were not widely believed in anymore, but I didn't know mentioning them would bring about reactions such as this.

"He's okay" Edward answered me in a voice filled with wonder "You're just making him question everything he knows and believe in"

Edward held a hand out to me and automatically I took the few steps between us and settled down into the seat next to him while he put his arm around me and pulled me close.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause distress" I said rather sheepishly with my cheeks flaming.

"It's quite all right" Carlisle whispered after a pause clearly not over the shock yet "I think maybe we have more to talk about than I previously thought". Esme had moved to his side and were rubbing his back in soothing gestures.

"So which of the gods created vampires? Was it somebody cool?" asked Emmett, the dimpled smile back on his face which made Rosalie roll her eyes and move over to smack him over the back of his head.

"What?" he asked while rubbing the spot Rosalie had smacked him "I'm just curious"

"As far as I know it was Hades, God of Death. The legend goes that he created the original vampires in a plot to take over Olympus. He failed though because the creatures he created were so ruled by their bloodlust that they were distracted and attacked every human they came in vicinity of. Zeus destroyed them but not all of their victims died. Some of them burned for three days from the creature's venom before awaking to a new life cursed with the lust for blood."

"So we really don't have souls?" Edward whispered with a pained look on his face. I don't think he meant for me to hear it but I answered him anyway.

"You do" I whispered as I began to stroke his cheek in an effort to comfort the pain I could see in his eyes "that's what made the new vampires so inherently different than the originals. The human personality and soul remained with the same capability for good and evil as before. It's just that most vampires I've heard of are so ruled by their bloodlust that whatever parts of their personality that harbored cruelty before are nurtured to the point that they forget they are capable of anything else."

As I finishes speaking my stomach started to rumble. This was looking out to be one of the longest days of my life.

"I think we need to take a break in this conversation for now, Bella needs to eat." Esme said

I looked to her with gratitude, ready to take a break from the drama.

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**A/N:**_ Thank you so much for reading, please leave me a review to tell me what you think ;) _


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:**_ Thank you so much to everyone who reads this and especially those of you who leave reviews - you guys make this so much more fun :)_

_I know that there is going to be some inconsistencies both geographically and with the parts of Greek mythology and for that I apologize. To my defense I'm basing my knowledge of Greek mythology on Wikipedia and 6 years old high-school lessons so inaccuracies are going to occur. That said if anybody have corrections to any mistake I will welcome it gratefully and try to do corrections. A tiny spoiler alert - I'm not American and I don't own a car so I have zero Idea of how long it would take to get from point A to B in the Forks area and the only thing I have to help is Google maps - so again if what I write seems very implausible I would be grateful if you let me know :)_

_Enough of my jabbering - on to the chapter ;)_

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own any recognizable parts._

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**BPOV**

After dinner I found myself gravitate back to the aquarium. Sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of it I studied the fish and daydreamed myself back to the days of my childhood where no human could reach the bottom of the reefs and I could play amongst the fish unhindered. The position I was sitting in was aggravating the wound a bit but I couldn't find it in me to care. The family of vampires had scattered all over the house in order to not scare the fish into hiding, even Edward had left me to my solitude to discuss various things with Carlisle in his study. It felt odd to miss him even though I could hear his murmur in the other end of the house. He was a vampire; it wasn't natural or logical to feel any other emotion than fear towards him and yet I was drawn to him, felt safe with him. It confused me to no end. But then I couldn't help think of the way he would behave with me, so caring and kind and I couldn't deny that I was fond of him.

Hours passed that way with me staring at the fish feeling increasingly homesick. Well, not particularly homesick but longing for the ocean, longing to stretch my tail and swim as fast as I could and to actually play with the fish instead of just creating twirls and streams for them to play in. By nightfall I could feel myself getting tired and my head along with my eyelids dropped every once in a while. A couple of hours ago Esme had supplied me with one of the overstuffed chairs that I was now lounging comfortably in if you didn't count that with every hour passing the dry itch in my legs were spreading. Every time I nodded off for a minute the itchy feeling woke me up again. After the fourth time I gave up and started to make my way towards the tub I had slept in last time. It wasn't what I craved but it would soothe the itch.

Annoyed, grumbling and half-awake I wobbled on my tired feet towards my destination. It's not that I had walked long distances today but muscles in my feet and calves were aching like I had swum at full speed for a day. I made it across half the room before my toes snagged on the carpet and I fell just as long as I was with a soft 'oumf'

"Great! Just great!"

I mumbled lying there flat on my stomach in the middle of the room. Cool hands touched my shoulder and arms and I looked up into the never ending eyes of Edward and instantly my mood lifted. Gently he helped me into a sitting position. One of my hands were rubbing my nose and forehead, the two new additions to the increasing list of places on my body that hurt, while the other continually sought to scratch an itch that kept moving every time I reached it.

"You okay?" he asked, a cool hand stroking what I could only guess was a red mark on my forehead.

"Yeah, just on my way to sleep and I guess I'm too tired to look where I'm going…"

"Better get you to bed then if you're sure you're okay" he said while he picked me up and cradled me close before I had a chance to protest – not that I was really going to.

"Not the bed, the water – it itches too much…" I mumbled semi-understandably while I nestled closer to his chest, instantly relaxed and eyes closing though my hands still sought to satisfy the constant itch that kept me from sleep.

I felt him move but was too tired to look where he was going. A minute later I felt him sit down and place me on his lap, cradling me with one arm while turning on the water.

"It will just be a minute now for it to fill up"

The door to the bathroom opened to reveal Carlisle standing in the doorway.

"Is she okay son?"

"Why did you call Carlisle? I'm fine…" I mumbled turning my face into Edward's chest to shield my eyes from the light in the room.

"I think so, she seems to just be tired. I don't smell any blood."

"Bella? Can you open your eyes for me?" Carlisle asked

I shook my head but did it anyway only to be met with at blinding light when I opened my eyes. Per reflex I moved my hand to shield them and by accident sent some water from the filling tub in the direction of the light.

A soft splash sounded and Edward started chuckling behind me. I looked only to see a drenched and smiling Carlisle sitting in front of me with a small flashlight.

"Sorry…" I mumbled embarrassed with my cheeks flaming.

"My bad" he answered chuckling "should have warned you. Are you experiencing any discomfort?" he asked noticing my wandering hands that kept searching for a way to satisfy the itch.

"Just tired and dry, the itchy feeling have spread from my legs to my entire body, it's driving me crazy!" I whined and in response Edward started to stroke my arms and murmured "the tub is almost full, just hold on" into my hair.

"Right" Carlisle said "I'll let you to it then, there doesn't seem to be any damage done from your little tumble"

It only took a minute after Carlisle left for the tub to be full. Checking that I was awake enough to be left to my own devises, Edward left me to get undressed and get in the tub.

I sighed audibly in relief when my legs gave way to my tail and the itchy feeling disappeared completely. I was grateful in that moment that the tub was big enough for me to stretch. The downside was though that once I was my full length I couldn't move. Taking deep breaths of water under the surface I let myself relax. I was almost asleep by the time Edward came back in. Instead of saying anything I faintly heard him hum the same melody that was played on the piano before I drifted off.

**Universal POV**

Edward paced the office of his father. He was worried, it had been three days since the incidence with the wolves and Bella hadn't left the house once. She spent her days sitting by the aquarium and playing with the fish by manipulating the water or soaking in her tub. She looked tired, more tired than she had the day they found her and Jasper said he felt an intense longing from her. He worried what effect it was having on her to be out of the ocean, she was after all not a creature of land no matter how much she looked it out of water.

_"I know you worry Edward, but pacing my office is not going to accomplice anything_." Carlisle thought at his first son after 30 minutes of his repetitive behavior

"I'm sorry Carlisle, but you see the dark circles under her eyes yourself, it can't be good for her to be stuck in the house like this."

"We talked with her about this already Edward. We agreed that with the wolves patrolling the border where the river to the ocean runs her wound should be fully healed before she returns. That said I also agree with you that it's not good for her to be trapped in this house. The rate her wound is healing is slowing down."

"We have to be able to do something, Carlisle. You should have seen her in the meadow stream, she looked so much better than she does right now."

Edward picked up his pacing again. The image of his mermaid in the meadows stream shining in the sun branded into his thoughts. He skipped a step, when had she become his? He couldn't deny those deep blue eyes had captured his heart since that fateful night making him feel more alive than he ever had in his hundred years of life. But how could it ever work? He could already see the effects on her from staying on land and it had only been three days. No, he refused to think like that. It had barely been a week and he didn't know if she thought about him that way or even wanted to see him again after she was able to leave.

A knock at the door interrupted them and in stepped Jasper and Alice. No conversation in this house was ever private so neither Edward nor Carlisle bothered to ask them if they had heard their conversation.

"I think I might have the solution" Alice piped up with a big smile on her face.

"The river going along the reservation is not the only access to the ocean even if it is the easiest. We can rent a boat in Port Angeles and take her out to sea in that. We can even buy radar fishing gear to check for human activities that we can't pick up."

Edward didn't think he had loved his adoptive sister as much as he did in that moment. Here he had been fretting for days now and she comes along with a solution that should have been staring him in the face the entire time.

"We will have to make the trip fast though, so it doesn't get too uncomfortable for her before we make it to a secluded enough place for her to swim safely." Carlisle argued, keeping the voice of reason in the conversation. Keeping Bellas existence a secret was vital to her safety.

"We always drive fast Carlisle" Jasper said with a smirk while putting his arms around his tiny wife.

"I have already looked into it; we can preorder everything so it'll be ready to go once we make it to Port Angeles. It shouldn't take more than 5 hours before she can get in the water if we time it right."

"That sound like it's possible but talk it over with her before you get too far ahead in your planning." Carlisle told his surrogate children who exited his office one by one to seek out the mermaid.

Truth be told Carlisle had worried over the mermaid as well. She almost seemed to fade in front of their eyes withering like a flower denied sufficient sunlight. Carlisle had barely believed his senses the night he and Edward found her in the river by the border. Edward had been the first to pick up the unusual scent while they were hunting. It had smelled enough like human blood that they had thought a human had gotten lost and hurt while hiking. Nothing though could have prepared either of them for the sight that met them. They could hear the sobbing and small cries of pain before they arrived. What they saw at first appeared to be a very wet human girl without clothing sitting in the storm with her back to them. The closer they got the scales that started at her waist became more noticeable. His vampire mind finally caught up with his eyes when they were about twenty feet away from her and could see the tail that were in the place of her legs with blood flowing from a wound to which she was applying pressure with a piece of moss. Before them was not a human girl but a very real and very hurt mermaid. Carlisle appreciated his first son's fast connection with the mermaid that allowed them to help her. He marveled at how both of them seemed to brighten and relax when in each other's company despite her initial fear of them being vampires.

He sincerely hoped that they could find a way to get her healthy again. Carlisle rarely felt fear when treating his patients, trusting his training and enhanced abilities to help him do what he could. But he could admit to feeling fear when she kept on sleeping for an entire day only to wake up on the brink of death for reasons Carlisle had no hope to fathom. He had been very grateful that she had had he strength to tell them how to help her. Mermaids were similar to humans in some ways and yet so very different and magical that he was unsure where his medical training even applied. He had started compiling mental notes like at what point her transformation from tail to legs began, how long it took and what it looked like though it amazed him equally every time he witnessed it. Her body temperature was lower than humans though her metabolism seemed higher and she appeared very sensitive to direct sunlight out of the water. He feared writing it down, should it fall into the wrong hands at some point and expose the mermaids as a species and not just a legend and relied instead on his vampiric memory.

His mind was still reeling from the revelations Bella had shared three days ago about the origins of vampires and mermaids. Raised by an Anglican pastor and devoting his life to science left very little room to consider Greek mythology anything other than just that – mythology. A new world of possibilities had opened to him with her stories, one he couldn't wait to explore, but he had enough compassion and patience to wait until she was well enough to share them. He would not press her just to satisfy his own curiosity.

**BPOV**

I knew when the fish in what had become my aquarium fled that one of the family were close. Seconds later Alice came bouncing into the room with a smiling Edward and Jasper on her heel. Jasper still made me nervous with his many scars and stiff posture but looking at Edward set me at ease.

"Bella we know you are not doing very well being stuck in this house" Alice said while she sat down on the arm of the chair I was sitting in.

"Therefore" Edward said "we wanted to take you to Port Angeles tomorrow. Alice suggested we rent a boat so we can take you out to sea to swim somewhere secluded."

Jumping up I threw my arms around Edward and hugged him whispering "thank you" over and over again. Surprised it took him a second before I could feel him hugging me back.

"You're very welcome Bella we'll go first thing in the morning. The weather is supposed to be very mild, hardly any wind and cloudy."

I had felt my energy depleting while my wound healed and with only tab water to replenish it hadn't been enough. I was tired – bone deep tired. I needed the ocean but with the wolves guarding the river that lined the border I agreed with Carlisle and Edward that I should be fully healed ad able to form a shield strong enough to resist the wolves if necessary before I tried that. The solution that Edward and Alice were proposing was just what I needed. I couldn't wait.

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**A/N:** _Please let me know what you think in a review, especially what you think of my attempt with a new point of view. _


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